Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Handley is correct, Madam Chair. When the Premier says that there's other avenues in course because of our budget and the situation where it does become a costly exercise implementing any type of traditional council or advisory council and I certainly will look forward to Mr. Handley's report after he does have some in-depth study on the Nunavut model and see how there's other avenues that we could involve elders, seniors who can be involved in our decision-making process. The Northern Strategy is one; the Circle of Northern Leaders is another. Certainly when the Ministers do come to our community or region, they do sit and talk with the elders. So I'm looking more, I guess, in a sense of an advisory council formalized, and again, you get into the cost factors. I'd certainly like to see some form of recognition is given to, maybe just once a year, just to see the elders, two from every region, just sit down with them on some government-wide, general-wide initiative direction in terms of how they see things in the future. They can give advice on the land, on the air, on issues such as the caribou or whatever. I know that the Ministers are doing that also, but it will be good for our government to involve elders at some point. It might be once a year to sit with the elders to get advice and direction. So they are very valuable, their traditional knowledge is very important and it would be good that this government supports this type of idea. So I guess that's what I wanted to ask the Premier. I'm not too sure if I can have him commit to do something, but he said he'll look at the idea and I would like to see if he could bring this idea forward to say it is a worthwhile exercise because we are following some of our tradition in the North here. So I think it would be a good thing. However, the Ministers know more about this type of work that they have to do and sometimes I'm not provided with all the details that it costs to get something like this going. So I want to leave that there, Madam Chair.
Norman Yakeleya on Committee Motion 30-15(4): Recommendation To Remove The Socio-economic Impact Fund Senior Advisor Position, Carried
In the Legislative Assembly on February 27th, 2006. See this statement in context.
Committee Motion 30-15(4): Recommendation To Remove The Socio-economic Impact Fund Senior Advisor Position, Carried
Item 16: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 26th, 2006
Page 1393
See context to find out what was said next.